Sullivan, IL

Sullivan is Moultrie County’s largest city and county seat, laid out in 1845 as Asa’s Point before taking the name of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. The first county courthouse arrived two years later, and the public square still gives the center its shape. Sullivan had 4,413 residents in 2020. The Titus Opera House, built in 1871, once held 800 people above the town square, while Freeland Grove preserves the memory of Abraham Lincoln’s 1858 speech in town. Lake Shelbyville adds a whole second side to Sullivan.

ATTRJoshuasbowler / CC BY-SA 4.0

The lake’s north end sits a few miles south, with Sullivan Marina, Sullivan Beach, boat ramps, campgrounds, and fishing water tying the city to the Kaskaskia River basin. The Ward Museum at Mason Point holds the Link and Cora Ward collection, including a large seashell display, and Routes 32 and 121 keep the city tied to the rest of central Illinois. Sullivan is part courthouse square, part lake town, with local history in both directions.